Lordy, Lordy, what a fun 40.

 

Greeting me first thing on the morning of my 40th.  That girl worked hard to get this house clean.  Not sure how she does it, staying up so late since I turn into the wicked witch at 6 pm.  

 

My cake.  Are you sensing a theme yet?  I got exactly what I wanted, from my dearest.  Over 3 months of piano lessons.  I hope my talent lives up to the generosity of my family and friends.

 

 

Melissa came with gift in hand for the little green girl...a beautiful spring leaf hat.

 

 

Several days ago, my girl said to me "Mommy, let's put beautiful things in the wagon."  Sweetness, I would be happy too...let's start with you.

"Shiny Happy People Holding Hands"

 

Early Saturday morning reading-fest.  One of my favorite times.

 

Nothing says comfort like my home-made feta lemon pasta sauce.  Always makes me and my mouth happy.

 

My lemon tree has started changing color.  I love the combination of colors in this picture.

 

Our first batch yield of maple syrup...nearly a gallon.

My 3 year old.

Highlights from the 3 year old birthday.  Crowns, cooking and cake.  So hard to believe she's already 3.

Beach blanket bingo

Lucy has her sunglasses, her big floppy hat, her sunscreen and she's not afraid to use it! It makes for a good beach pic, but she didn't keep the sunglasses on. I would have thought she would, given how often she's seen us change from our regular glasses to our sunglasses, but no. She's too busy being on the move.
She seemed to enjoy herself quite a bit at Sand Beach yesterday. Although, she's decided that it's really not okay for one parent to sit on the beach and the other to take her down to the water. She would like us both to be with her down at the water, thankyouverymuch. It's really sweet, actually.
On our way down to the water, she found a treasure she simply had to stop and admire. I plunked down next to her and she shared it with me. It was a piece of seaweed that had dried to a crisp.





















After playing with the seaweed, she got into the stream behind the ocean. It's so very much warmer than the frigid ocean water at Sand Beach. She splash, splash, splashed. I love the way she picks her foot up and out of the water to take a step.
Down at the ocean side of the beach she got good and wet and sandy. She and Lise chased the waves in and out. Lucy ran backward with me away from the incoming waves.

My gratefuls: small shovels, warm sand, vivid green, deep blue, and fluffy white colors.

"Don't let the sun go down on me"

We are on our yearly vacation to Bar Harbor, ME. We always stay at a place called Bar Harbor Cottages and Suites. It's nice coming back to the same place year after year...it's easy, comfortable and there's so very much to do here. Yesterday, we went to a couple of places.
The first was a trip into downtown Bar Harbor, where we spent a little time at the rocky beach just off the pier. Lucy and I spent some time watching a lobster boat pull in and unload case after case of lobsters then load them into a pick up for delivery. We talked about the difference between a lobster boat and a sailboat, both of which were moored in the harbor.


Then Lucy and Mama took their beach treasure bags and went hunting. They came back laden with treasures. I watched from the ramp while I worked on knitting Lucy a sweater (my first try!) from a pattern Melissa gave me and commandeered the camera.


After a very filling lunch at 2 Cats (Lucy had her very first fresh strawberry, and loved it) we headed over to Seal Harbor where we played on the beach and in the water. Lucy discovered a seagull feather (she is lately enamored of seagulls) and played a game with a girl there where she would drop the feather into the river of fresh water that was draining into the harbor, and the girl (or Mama) would chase the feather before it made it to the 'ocean'. She squealed like she'd never done anything that fun in her life.

Feather in hand, and joy in heart.

I'm grateful for vacation, toddler laughs, found treasures, a small hand wrapped around my pointer finger, and screened-in beach cottage porches.

"When the red, red robin comes..."

With a few tips and pointers from my dear friend Melissa, I am in the processes of making the Stella Pixie Hat from Vintage Baby Knits. While I have mastered the basic knits, I'm rather amateur when it comes to yarn gauge. I am slowly learning, with patient tutoring, that you can't just pick a yarn that's thicker than the pattern calls for, and compensate by using thinner needles. Well. At least, I can't do that yet. I'm just not that crafty a knitter. Yet. I am terribly tickled, though, that I made an entire row worth of mistakes, but that I was able to correct those mistakes. This is new for me. Normally, I'd be on the phone saying, "I did it again! You have to help me!" Not so this time. I saw the mistake, figured out how to undo it stitch by stitch, and moved on. Earlier yesterday, I realized there was one mistake on a stitch about halfway through the row. I'm still not entirely clear what I did. There was a knit stitch that looked like maybe I'd picked up an extra stitch, or got distracted and twisted the stitch somehow. Nonetheless, I was able to figure out how to fix it without wanting to put it down or even curse. That's big progress for this impatient gal.

Another marvelous treat for me...I got a package in the mail a few days ago from
my dear friend Julie, chock full of cds that I haven't heard before. Once upon a time, I used to have music playing around me all the time, all the time. But as life has gotten away from me, I haven't been able to focus on it the way that I used to. I have been listening to "Poisiden and the Bitter Bug" non-stop for days now, and next on tap is Jason Mraz. I'm familiar with a few of his songs, but I'll be able to sit down at this veritable feast after years of famish. I am salivating at the mere thought of it. (I have the cds at work, and I put them on the computer and crank it while I'm working on paperwork. It makes the tedious that much more bearable.) Thank you, Julie.

Lucy and I started our HooteNanny music class with Nerissa and Katryna Nields on Thursday. It was interesting to see my very-outgoing daughter turn into a shy kid who clung pretty closely to me. She's so used to having so many people around, and she loves other kids. But it was a lesson to me to see that she requires a certain level of familiarity to be that outgoing kid. She was interested in all of the people that we met, for certain. But she sat on my lap for most of the class, and usually she is far to busy to be that close for that long. She warmed up toward the end of class and I'm sure she'll come out of her shell the more we go.

(image copyright of the Nields)
I, for one, very much enjoyed the class. It's nice to be able to have the flexibility to go to a 9 a.m. class in the middle of the work week, but even better than that...I quite enjoy the music. I seem to be comfortable enough in my own singing abilities to actually sing loud enough to be heard (unlike how, once upon a time in church, I would sing so low I may as well not have bothered mouthing the words), and even chill enough to be able to ham it up a little for Lucy. She only sang 3 words during that class. We sang "When the red, red robin comes bob, bob, bobbing along." Lucy sang "bob, bob, bob." It was enough for me. I get that she's really young for a class...

Lucy is learning so much, so fast that I can hardly keep up with her. Her language skills are exploding tenfold each day, her walking and balance are coming easier and easier with time. Of significance this week: She's popped out 2 new teeth in 3 days. (It's been a little tough on her.) Absolutely everything makes it into her mouth, and no wonder. Additionally, she can turn the water in the bathroom on and off, and does so when she's brushing her teeth. All 3 of her new teeth. My baby is a toddler now. And I didn't realize how thrilled I would be to see that happen, and how sad it would make me to realize my baby is already growing up.

I am grateful for time and skills to knit, for friends who know just what music I need to feed my soul, for songs, for singing, and for the awe I feel watching Lucy grow.